Toowoomba footballer revisits field where he collapsed, thanks people who saved his life

When an ambulance arrived at Toowoomba's Brothers Football Club today it was to smiling members of the club, a stark contrast from two weeks ago when paramedics were rushing to save the life of young player Connor Sharpe.

Connor Sharpe (with football) returned to the football field he collapsed on to meet the paramedics and football club member who saved his life. (ABC Southern Qld:Peter Gunders)

Wendy Sharpe said she would never forget the day the ambulance arrived during a football match after her son collapsed on the field.

"It's stuck there forever," Ms Sharpe said.

"I was watching the game as usual from the sideline. I saw Connor come off the field to get some water, he seemed to be walking funny, then he collapsed on his back and started seizing.

"I ran and felt his pulse in his hand and neck, and in that time his lips started turning blue.

"Someone yelled for an ambulance, I was calling and yelled to Jason for CPR."

Coach Jason Brookes had been on the sidelines, talking to Connor only moments before he collapsed.

"I hadn't done CPR since the bronze medallion at school, but it all came back," he said.

"My wife had just done a refresher course a couple of weeks beforehand, so we had been talking about it."

Mr Brookes said it was a relief to see the ambulance arrive on the field.

"I was doing CPR for about six minutes, but it felt like hours," he said.

"The main thing was to make sure Connor was alive."

Paramedics Sarah Williams and Daniel Bibo quickly took over.

"It was good to see Jason doing CPR when we arrived," Ms Williams said.

"It caught us off guard, but it was a good surprise, it's what Connor needed."

The paramedics used a defibrillator and continued CPR "until his heart started again," Ms Williams said.

He was then taken to hospital and flown from there to Brisbane.

Connor remembers "absolutely nothing" of the day but the first thing he said to Jason was "thank you".

"And I've kept saying it," he said.

The 15-year-old has now had a defibrillator implanted in his chest.

"I'm not the $6 million man, maybe the $60,000 man," he laughed.

He has had to retire from football, and other contact sports, but has recently received a bursary to attend jazz camp later in the year.

"I can't get tackled, but I can go all out with my saxophone," he said.

His mother said it was a little "heartbreaking" to see her son no longer able to play football, but that feeling was overshadowed by the "blessings of Jason and the paramedics and the hospital and family and the 500 people who prayed," she said.

The football club said it would ensure club members would do first aid training.

"I think CPR should be taught right through the school years," Mr Brookes said.

"It was good to be able to lend a hand until the 'proper guys' arrived.

"CPR is not hard - once you've done it on a dummy, it's like riding a bike."

Ms Sharpe echoed the sentiments, and added another piece of advice for community members: "Make way for the ambulance on the road," she said.

"I couldn't believe two people pulled out in front of us while the lights and sirens were going as we were racing to the hospital.

"So learn CPR and turn on your ears while driving and get out the way of the ambulance!"